


Learning From Joan

by TheBeezKneez



Category: Joan Cusack - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Joan Cusack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:03:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeezKneez/pseuds/TheBeezKneez
Summary: When a young actress comes across a difficult intimate scene, it's up to Joan to help her work through it.





	Learning From Joan

I had never been a particularly well-liked actress. Talent wasn’t even considered when people hired me. In fact, the only reason I was hired was because I was the perfect “stereotypical cheat girl”. This meant that I always played a girl that someone was cheating with. I don’t have a beautiful face, in fact, I’ve been called ‘less than average’ at times, but for whatever reason people find that I look good on tv when there’s a man or woman cheating with me. I didn’t even bother reciting Shakespeare in my auditions anymore. When my agent called, I knew exactly why. When I first got out of Carnegie Mellon, I thought I was going to be a star that everyone appreciated. I tried on Broadway, and failed miserably. After a few years of scrapping by with what little I had, I moved to Chicago. There I found more opportunities, in television. I thought of myself as a serious actress and was picky with what I worked in. I learned quickly that I had to let go of this ego I had and I began working in small films as the ‘cheat girl’. It wasn’t the dream I had planned, but it wasn’t a nightmare either. After five years of doing the same old routine, I barged into my agents office today, ready to quit everything. 

“Charlotte I’m through with being a whore!” I yelled. 

“You don’t play whores. You’re not that well paid, you play ‘cheat girls’… what’s with the revelation?” she asked. 

“I can’t keep doing this shit? I mean fuck…. I play a cheat girl every film!!! I have stood next to Colin Firth and had him smack my ass. It took twelve takes just to get it right and then I was done. I can’t even brag about working with Colin Firth, because I didn’t. It’s pathetic. This isn’t acting, this is… it’s… it’s…”

“Demeaning?”

“YES!”

“Well I’m sorry you feel that way, but, as your agent I must tell you, I find you work wherever I can. If you have a problem with it then you can schedule a meeting with me and we can have a real and honest conversation about what steps we should take to… alter your career. Okay? In the mean time, I have an audition for you and it’s tomorrow morning bright and early.”

“What am I auditioning for?” I asked. 

“You can do the research yourself kid, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”

“That would mean that you don’t know…”

“…”

“Great Charlotte thanks. See you” I said as I walked out of her office, making sure she knew that I was pissed off. I wasn’t entirely sure why I was pissed, she did get me an audition after all, but I still felt like I hadn’t been able to express myself fully. I took my bike and rode back to my home. I suppose now would be a good time to give some backstory huh?

My mother died when I was a teenager so I was left with my father. He was super supportive and wanted everything for me but we never really connected after mom’s death. When I moved away for college, I didn’t go back to Chicago, where I grew up. Then, after a few years into my acting career in New York, not only was I frustrated with not being a Broadway star, but my father passed away. That’s why I moved to Chicago, and stayed. I had the house to take care of and I was in no financial situation to stay in New York. Okay, you’re up to date. 

So here I am, standing outside the audition room door, waiting to go in and read for Michele, a young woman who steals the heart of a married woman. What’s new?

“Hello, and you are Liza I assume? Charlotte told us about you, she seemed very enthusiastic about sending you to us. Whenever you’re ready Liza” said the auditioner. 

“Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since and wakes it now to look so green and pale at what it did so freely?” I started, but was soon stopped by the auditioner. 

“Shakespeare, really? Strong choice for someone who’s auditioning for a role that she knows very little about. I think Lady Macbeth is the perfect choice for this young woman. She’s feminine, but manipulative. She gets what she wants. You may continue” 

“You… you want me to continue?” I asked.

“… Yes… that’s what I said isn’t it?”

“Sorry, usually people stop me before I get, well, three lines in… right yeah, continue, okay…”

After the audition I walked out and thought nothing of it. I met a friend at the bar, drank too much, and went home. The next day at 6:30 in the morning I received a call from a very excited woman stating that I was cast in their movie and she wanted to meet with me later in the day. I thought nothing of it, considering I had been cast in this role many times before. Little did I know, I would find romance along the way. 

Skip ahead 5 months

“Okay Liza thank you for joining us. Everyone, this is Liza and she’s going to be playing our Michele. Liza, welcome to the set. Since you’ve been given a tour why don’t we just go straight into a reading”

“Sounds awesome”

As we began reading, everything was normal enough. Everyone was very friendly and it felt like a very supportive group. Suddenly, I heard a voice that I recognized and I looked up, only to find Joan Cusack sitting across from me. She was reading the part of Martha, the woman I was having an affair with. I had no idea she was in the film and suddenly I began to feel my heart beat faster and faster and my face was getting red. I tried as hard as possible to keep my chill but our scene was soon a very heated one and I couldn’t keep my cool, no matter how hard I tried. The director stopped us and called for a ten-minute break and I ran out of that room faster than a jackrabbit. I snuck into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. It was amazing and I was more excited than ever, but I had no idea Joan would be playing opposite of me. I took a few deep breaths and just as I opened the door, Joan walked in, smiling her big teethy smile that she gave no matter where she was. 

“Liza! Hi! We haven’t officially met, considering you just joined us today, but hi. I’m Joan and I’m so so so exited to be working with you. I’ve heard such great things.” She said, hugging me tightly. I started blushing again. 

“J-J-J-Joan… I um… yes… excitement… I have that… a lot… to work with you… sorry… I’m just… can I be honest?”

“Oh of course hun! We’ll be working closely with each other, feel free to be honest with me!”

“I’m star struck…”

“With me? I’m not even a star though… I mean… I’m… I’m second hand, at most!.... you shouldn’t be star struck! I mean heck, you’re the one that sings, dances, AND acts!”

“Sorry… I just… I’ve literally watched every film that you’ve been in… for the sole purpose of watching you… I mean, I did an acting project on you in college… this is… I mean… shit”

“An acting project on me? Really? I’m so honored! Thank you! But don’t feel the need to treat me like some cool celebrity or whatever, I’m truly very excited to work with you Liza. Okay, I should use the restroom, that is what I came in here to do after all.”

“Oh… yeah no, I should get back… okay… uh… bye”

I hated myself for a solid week after that encounter. I still think back at the things I said and wish I had said something else, something less, weird. 

A few weeks into the shoot

“Liza, could you try that again and this time place your hands a little closer to her breasts please? Everyone, quiet!”

It was the day I had been dreading. We weren’t shooting the movie in order so instead of building a relationship with Joan and working with her through the characters, we went straight into the sex scene, which I wasn’t ready for. I knew my lines and what I had to do. We had worked on the blocking but for the most part the director left it up to us to decide where our comfort level was. Joan was being so kind and thoughtful and it made me feel like such a dope for acting so nervous. It was truly awful having so many people watching me during an intimate moment like this. 

“Action!”

“Martha, please don’t tell me no, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself if you do. Let me have you, all of you” I whispered into Joan’s ear. She quietly moaned and bucked her hips against me. It was the first time she had done that. 

“Oh God, Michele I can’t contain myself… please, I’ll never say no again” whispered Joan as she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. We kissed a bit and I felt Joan pushing me towards the wall. The director didn’t cut so I assumed he liked what was happening, so I went with it. I allowed her to press herself up against me on the wall. My hands roamed up her torso, following what the director had asked for but something didn’t feel right. I was deeply uncomfortable and the further we went the more nauseous I felt. Joan looked at me and immediately pulled away. 

“Hey, hi I’m so sorry, I’m afraid something’s wrong. Could we take… maybe an hour break please. My blood sugar is really low and I just don’t feel well.” Said Joan as she looked around the room at everyone. For a moment it was totally silent, no one had ever just stepped out of a scene like that. Finally they granted the break and we had an hour. Joan grabbed my hand and pulled me alongside her. We walked hand in hand to her dressing room and she shut the door behind us. 

“Um… is something wrong?” I asked. 

“Yes, very wrong. Have you ever kissed a woman?” she asked me, her arms crossed. 

“What?... well uh… not… I mean once in college…”

“Are you a virgin?”

“WHAT? Why…? God was I that shitty a kisser?” I asked now totally freaked because I felt like Joan was disgusted by me. 

“I’m confused. You’re a very passionate young woman, funny and easy going but back there… you were someone else entirely. I felt like I was sexually assaulting you when I touched you. What was that about?”

“I---I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to feel sorry about this, I just want to figure this out because that won’t work for the movie. I want you to be as comfortable as possible with me, and you really weren’t back there. How can I help?” she asked. 

I felt all warm and fuzzy at the thought of her actually worrying about me and wanting to help me, but at the same time I felt like I was the shittiest actor on the block since I couldn’t do a simple sex scene, not that those are ever simple. 

“I’m just really uncomfortable with the intimate scene. I feel like we hadn’t really discussed it or what we would do and now all those people are staring at me… in a way I feel like they are judging the way I get intimate with others…”

“Yeah, we really didn’t have a lot of time to work it did we? We’ve got… let’s see… 45 minutes, maybe we could figure that out now?”

“Yes, that would be nice, I’d feel better talking about it, please, let’s figure this out”

“Oh I didn’t mean talking about it. That’s not going to help you” said Joan as she placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed me into her couch. I felt my face blush, hard. There was no hiding it. She straddled me and began kissing her way down my neck. I felt the place between my thighs start to tighten and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. “Would you ever fuck me?”

“W-What?”

“Would you ever fuck me? Would it turn you on? I think you’re cute, I would totally have you every night”

“I.. uh… what’s happening?”

“Shhh, enjoy this, it’ll help. But take control, don’t just sit there like a sack of potatoes, no one likes that”

I felt her hand work down my torso and in between my thighs. I let out a groan that apparently gave her permission to unbutton my pants and place her hands inside them. I bucked my hips up, not fully understanding why my body was reacting this way. I liked Joan as an actress, but I hadn’t really thought of her in this way. Suddenly I felt the urge to kiss her, and so I did. I wrapped my hands around her neck and pulled her hard against my lips. Our tongues danced around each other, teasing and poking fun. Her fingers began to work against me and my breaths became shorter and more static. 

“Do you want me inside you?” she asked. 

“Mhmm…” I moaned as I nodded my head to the best of my ability. She placed one finger inside, and then another, slowly working her speed up. If I could, I would have screamed with pleasure but her lips were locked against mine. I desperately began to lift her skirt and grabbed her backside hard, letting her know I was close. She quickly stopped and looked at me, smiling. Joan slid off the couch and onto her knees. Her hands slowly parted my thighs and she worked my pants down to my ankles. Her teeth removed my undergarments. I felt totally exposed and totally turned on. She made eye contact with me the entire time she teased me with her tongue. My hips bucked against her mouth but her arms held my hips down as I became more excited. 

“Do you want to come for me?”

“Please…” I begged, wanting her to taste me and touch me and have me. She placed her fingers back inside me and began thrusting, hard against me as she worked her tongue. Within seconds I was gasping for air with a full climax that left my entire body shaking. She crawled back onto the couch and gave me a peck on the cheek before going into the bathroom to wash up. I pulled my pants back up and looked in the mirror to make sure I still looked slightly okay. 

“Now then, I think we’ve accurately planned out the scene accordingly. Do you feel more prepared now?” she asked as she brushed her hair back. 

“… mhmm… except… I think for the scene… I’d like the reverse the rolls and try to do what you did… to me…”

“I’d like that very much”

Needless to say, the scene was excellent.


End file.
